Wolrige is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that is derived from Wulfric, a Germanic personal name that became common in England after the Norman Conquest. After King William the Conqueror defeated the Saxon nobility at the Battle of Hastings, he encouraged the immigration of skilled tradesmen and administrators from the continent into England. Many of these came from the area where Germany would later become a nation. This resulted in the importation of a large number of new personal names and surnames. The personal name Wulfric means "wolf-powerful." This name appears in the Domesday Book as Wlfric and Vlfri c. This name is a vernacular name, arising from the vernacular tradition of naming. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Vernacular names that were derived from ancient Germanic personal names have cognates in most European languages. For example, the court of Charlemagne (742-814) was Christian and Latin-speaking, but the Frankish dialect of Old German was commonly used for personal names. Vernacular names were widespread throughout Normandy. Accordingly, many typical English and French names are in fact, originally of Germanic origin and often have cognates in other European countries.

Wolrige Early Origins

The surname Wolrige was first found in Staffordshire, where the Wolrige family held a seat from ancient times. The family was Lords of the manor of Leek, Aldithley, and Balterley in Staffordshire, and of Croxton and Etchells in the county of Cheshire, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Wolrige Spelling Variations

Wolrige Spelling Variations

Wolrige has been spelled many different ways, including Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Woolrich, Woolridge, Wolrich, Woolrych, Wolridge, Wooldridge and many more.

Wolrige Early History

Wolrige Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wolrige research. Another 235 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1633 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Wolrige History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wolrige Early Notables (pre 1700)

Wolrige Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 20 words (1 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wolrige Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

The Great Migration

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wolrige Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

O. F. Wolrige arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Countess of Kintore" in 1873

Citations

Citations

Other References

Burke, Sir Bernard. Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, The Privy Council, Knightage and Compainonage. London: Burke Publishing, 1921. Print.

Skordas, Guest. Ed. The Early Settlers of Maryland an Index to Names or Immigrants Complied from Records of Land Patents 1633-1680 in the Hall of Records Annapolis, Maryland. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1968. Print.

Marcharn, Frederick George. A Constitutional History of Modern England 1485 to the Present. London: Harper and Brothers, 1960. Print.

MacAulay, Thomas Babington. History of England from the Accession of James the Second 4 volumes. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1879. Print.

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The Wolrige Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Wolrige Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.